The Houston Astros have confirmed the acquisition of minor league reliever Nick Hernandez from the Padres, as reported by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. In exchange, San Diego will receive cash considerations. Since Hernandez wasn’t listed on the Padres’ 40-man roster, he won’t immediately join Houston’s roster.
For 29-year-old Hernandez, this marks a return to his roots in multiple ways. Hailing from Houston, he attended the University of Houston. Furthermore, Hernandez launched his career with the Astros, who drafted him in the eighth round back in 2016. Standing at 6’1″ and a right-handed pitcher, he progressed through the Astros’ system until 2022, reaching Triple-A Sugar Land. After the 2022 season, he became eligible for minor league free agency and subsequently joined San Diego.
Following his Major League debut with the Padres last autumn, Hernandez appeared in two games, during which four runs were conceded in three innings. Subsequently removed from the 40-man roster, the Padres re-signed him to a new minor league deal in January. Since then, impressive results have been delivered by him while pitching for Triple-A El Paso.
Across 23 2/3 innings, a 1.90 ERA has been maintained by him, despite the challenging pitching conditions in the Pacific Coast League. Throughout parts of four Triple-A campaigns, a near-31% strikeout percentage has been achieved by Hernandez, with 34% of batters faced being struck out. Although a few too many walks have typically been issued by him, this season’s 9% walk rate is not significantly different from the league average. With a full slate of options still available, Hernandez could be moved between Houston and Sugar Land by the Astros if he is added to the 40-man roster.
